Bump in trailer orders a ‘great sign’ for industry: FTR

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Trailer orders rebounded in June, as a result of significant placements with a few OEMs, according to the latest figures from FTR.

June net orders were 26,700 units, a 76% increase from May and a 32% jump from last June. FTR reports there were some large dry van orders with deliveries scheduled for 2016.

The large order intake kept backlogs at a steady level.

Refrigerated trailer orders were also strong in June, FTR reports, while flatbed orders were weak.

“There is a dichotomy in these numbers,” explained Don Ake, FTR’s vice-president of commercial vehicles.

“Vans, both dry and reefer, had a great month. The fact that some fleets are so confident about next year that they placed orders three months early, is a great sign for the industry. However, there is concern in some of the other segments. Flatbed orders were unusually low; hopefully that is simply because all the orders are in for this year with fleets now waiting to begin ordering for 2016 during their typical purchasing season later in the year. Both liquid and dry tank markets have also started to slow down. This is primarily a result of softening in the energy industry.”